Seven-year gestation for engine failure
A Eurocopter AS 350D that lost engine power during a sightseeing flight in January 2006 and suffered “substantial” damage during the landing had lost oil p

A Eurocopter AS 350D that lost engine power during a sightseeing flight in January 2006 and suffered “substantial” damage during the landing had lost oil pressure seven years earlier and exhibited “significant” engine-bearing damage and heat distress due to the oil-starvation event, the NTSB reported last month.

The Safety Board put the blame for the crash on Kahului, Hawaii-based Alika Aviation (operating as Alex Air) and the engine leasing agent, Sunrise Helicopter, based in Spring, Texas, for failing to “ensure the engine’s airworthiness.” Alex Air installed the engine in the helicopter in December 2005 and determined it to be airworthy.

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